Convoloid is a design change, not a capital project. Your hobbing, shaping, grinding and inspection equipment already makes it, your rating standards already apply, and published analysis shows 20–35% higher torque capability than equivalent involute designs (AGMA 11FTM19).
Customers choose the smallest gearbox that carries their load. More torque per frame size wins the specification.
After two centuries of refinement, materials and finishing deliver small incremental gains. The tooth form itself has not moved.
Most performance upgrades need new equipment, new processes or new suppliers. That is a hard sell.
Rated per AGMA/ISO against an equivalent involute baseline, Convoloid shows 20–35% higher torque capability. That is a higher catalog rating per frame, or a smaller frame for the same rating, not both at once.
| Involute | Convoloid® | |
|---|---|---|
| Torque capability (AGMA 11FTM19) | Equivalent involute | 20–35% higher |
| Hobbing, shaping, skiving, grinding | Yes | Yes, standard cycle times (no shaving) |
| Tolerances (AGMA 2015-2 / ISO 1328-1) | Yes | Same standards apply |
| Inspection (AGMA 915 / ISO 10064) | Yes | Same parameters and classes |
| Tip / root relief, crowning, lead mods | Yes | Yes, designed and measured |
| Efficiency (DOE/NREL test) | 98.9% per gearset | 98.9% per gearset (parity) |
Convoloid gears are generated by a rack form, exactly as hobbing works. That is why existing machines cut them. Pinion and gear each need their own cutter.
The transverse Convoloid profile works in spur and helical gears, so it fits parallel-shaft and planetary product lines.
Gear manufacturers trust test rigs and standards. Here is how Convoloid measures up.
Under a U.S. DOE/NREL wind-energy research contract (2005–2008), a Convoloid retrofit of a 108 kW two-stage gearbox ran back-to-back against an optimized involute at up to 240% of rated load. Convoloid surfaces stayed stable; the involute’s micro-pitting progressed.
See the source →Published: 20–35% higher torque capability than equivalent involute designs, rated per AGMA/ISO with the same derating factors applied to both (Berlinger & Colbourne, 2011).
See the source →US 10,527,149 in force to ~2036. European patent EP 3 387 294 granted, with Unitary Patent and UK validation, to 2036.
See the source →Barney Berlinger, Convoloid's inventor, explains what makes the tooth form different and why it matters for industrial gearboxes.
A short briefing for engineering and leadership: the problem, the technology, the comparison and the test record, in nine slides.